Road trip! Part 6: About-face

This is it: we're in Louisiana. The whole trip, the second most important thing to me was being in New Orleans. The chemistry that I have with that city is impeccable. I love it. I love the music, the chaos, the street people, the boldness. When I am in New Orleans, there is a wildness in me that is awakened, and I know that I belong there. I have that precise brand of madness, and it is wonderful. Only in New Orleans...

And I'm not going there. Aunt Judy & I are in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and tomorrow we will travel to Meridian, Mississippi to visit family on our way back to our respective homes.

"WHY??!!!," you ask. Well, it's a new thing for me. Let me explain it to you: I've run out of money. My budget is busted. Sure, I have a decent amount of money in my bank account, but it's almost all spoken for. And here's the change: I've looked at it, owned it, and am responding to it. Instead of spending some of my mortgage money and assuming I'll have more cash in time to pay the bills, I'm going to be responsive to my own actual needs... which includes some self respect. 

And I'm not even heartbroken! Yes, I will miss New Orleans. Yes, I really think I could live there. Yes, I've always run from the reality of my finances, especially when they're not what I want them to be. But here comes baby step number one in the right direction: no more running; instead, an about face. Ya gotta start somewhere.

It will be great to see family I haven't seen in years. I have a cousin, Brooke, who's recently taken up dancing. The last time I saw her she was too young to talk. David, her father, is a hunter and has 4-wheelers. We may even visit Thomas & Loretta in Alabama who have a farm (they raise chickens for Tyson- can you believe it?!) which includes a catfish pond. Long have I wanted to learn to clean a fish. Yes indeed, there are many adventures to be had in Mississippi.

What can I say? I am so richly blessed. So much so that I got to drive down Highway 1 and enjoy beauty such as this:

 

Nothing to complain about here. Watch out! Financial freedom, here I come!